Don't the Detroit News and the Lansing State Journal count as "mainstream media"? It's true that Michigan's economy is fairly crappy. I went to high school in Ann Arbor and have spent lots of time in the state over the years, and Michigan has done a much poorer job of developing modern economic sectors than have nearby states such as Ohio and Illinois. My pet theory on that is reflected in the fact that Michigan also has a far lower percentage today of Hispanic or Asian populations than do those other states. (Central Michigan is basically wall to wall crackers, and the Detroit area is virtually all white or black except for a little pocket of Arab-Americans.) Someone who believes in steady immigration as the driver of a healthy U.S. economy and society can simply point to Michigan and Minnesota (or Michigan and Ohio, or Michigan and Illinois) as proof of the pudding.